One of the joys of being a folklorist is the people you meet and get to know and the things you learn. One aspect I’m drawn to most, you might have guessed, is food traditions.

Early in our stay in Florida, I met Liliane Louise, a Haitian immigrant. She long predates our family in the state by ten years. She’s been sharing her traditional knowledge – tales, medicine, cooking – at festivals and programs in museums in Miami, in community centers, and now as a mainstay at the annual Folk Festival. In fact in 2006, she was recognized as a teller of tales with the prestigious Florida Folk Heritage award (https://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-folklife-program/folk-heritage-awards/list-of-past-recipients/liliane-n%C3%A9rette-louis/). Liliane has put down these stories in a few books, including Kric Krac, the words with which each story begins.

Her range of traditional knowledge covers much more than the spoken word. She is skilled cook of all food Haitian. Her garden abounds with trees and herbs that she uses medicinally. Over the years, Liliane has worked with a number of other Haitian immigrant women, passing on her knowledge of things traditional through the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program (https://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-folklife-program/apprenticeship-program/).

Recently, Daughter and I enjoyed a delicious lunch of acra (crisp malanga fritters), bouyon (a stew rich with meat, seafood, and vegetables, and pan patat (something like a heavy sweet potato pone). Daughter was a trooper; she ate and enjoyed the spicey dishes, even though Liliane was informed that she does not tolerate spice.

After lunch, we wanted around the garden. Mango season was over and the avocados were not yet ripe. But the jackfruit tree was full of large, bulbous green fruits. One came home with us.

I have jackfruit memories from my days in Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer, fifty years ago! I enjoyed the environs of the Blue Mountains several times. We would drive to a point, then go halfway up to a small plantation where we’d spend the evening, rising about 2 in the morning to make the ascent. I really only climbed to the peak once! I think the first time I went, the jackfruit on the lower levels of the mountains were ripening. The smell remains with me to this day. I’ll admit, jackfruit was one fruit I never tasted while living in Jamaica, and I tasted stinky toe! If you’re curious – https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/botanical-roots-why-you-should-eat-stinking-toe.

Faced with a moderate sized jackfruit, I opened my old Jamaican cookbooks. No instructions of what to do with the bounty. Next to google where numerous recipes using the hearty fruit as a meat substitute (a popular application these days) are to be found. I chose the following recipe for Jackfruit carnitas (look at noracooks.com). Constant Companion voted that it was as good as any you could find in a restaurant!

Jackfruit Carnitas. Actually, I recommend looking on the web to see how to clean this fruit. It’s not difficult, just takes several steps. The fruit, for lack of another word is gooey, and the goo gets on everything. One cook suggests wiping your knife with cooking oil; I did this and it helped in cleaning when I was done. I did not, however, wear plastic gloves, did not have any. It was not difficult to wash and wash and wash my hands.

Cut the fruit in half, lengthwise. Then cut each half into half again, lengthwise. Remove the whitish central core and discard.

Taking one quarter at a time, reach in and take out each segment of fruit. Remove the white material surrounding the meat and discard (though I saw photos of this material not being removed). Also remove and set aside the seeds.*

Note: Two things here … This is a lot of fruit. I have half of the jackfruit to another Haitian friend. Secondly, I read elsewhere to remove the seeds and gently boil them. Remove the skin and eat. Constant Companion thought they tasted like a cross between chestnuts and chickpeas.

Once you’re got the fruit cleaned and ready (or if you simply opened and rinsed a can of jackfruit), heat some oil in a large skillet. Add ½ diced onion and cook til soft. Add the jackfruit  along with ½ cup water. The recipe calls to simmer for 10 minutes covered, I simmered longer til the fruit was softened.

Stir together 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt. In essence you are making a tasty barbeque sauce. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  When the fruit is softened, mash it with a potato masher or two forks, stir in the wet spice mix, and cook for 5 minutes more stirring frequently. Finally add ¼ fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp liquid smoke (my pantry does not have this product) and simmer on low heat for 10 more minutes.

Evenly spread the jackfruit on the prepared pan and bake for 15-25 minutes, until golden, crispy, and maybe a bit blackened. Stir it around halfway through the baking. Fresh out of the oven, this is unbelievably delicious!

It’s recommended to serve warm in tortillas, burritos, bowls with guacamole, diced red onion, sliced jalapenos and cilantro.

I’ve come to be somewhat of a food adventurer. When I travel I enjoy trying local specialities. Preparing and cooking jackfruit chalks up as another food adventure in chez nous.

I shared this marvelous adventures with friends. Several asked if jackfruit and durian are related. Apparently, they are from two distinct families, though the resemblance is remarkable.